The Misadventures of Komaeda Nagito
by Destux
Summary: Ever wondered what exactly happened to Nagito after he was suspended from Hope’s Peak? To put it simply, a LOT of crazy stuff happened. Emphasis on “crazy”.
1. Aftermath

A/N: I had this idea in the back of my head for days and with it, an experiment to my writing style. I noticed that my old writing style didn't enrapture that person's POV quite well so I practiced that by writing in First Person!

That being said, please enjoy the fic! I'll work on the other chapters as soon as I can before Hinanami Week arrives!

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"Heh. How lucky of me to find this waterfall in the middle of nowhere…"

I was mostly speaking to myself as I rinsed my body from the grime from the crash. What can I say really? My luck is the stuff of the legends! Sure, it was horrible luck to be caught up in a terrorist hijacking situation but surprise, surprise! An engine failure caused the plane to come crashing down to these cascading plains. Sadly, there were no survivors. Well, except for me obviously. I wouldn't be here enjoying this wonderful refreshing bath. It truly is an unfortunate turn of events, don't you think?

I hummed a happy little tune. Surely enough, it felt like I was being watched somehow. That would be really embarrassing. I'm perfectly exposed to the eyes of any unfortunate passerby who had to bear witness to my putrid body. What are the odds of that happening though? I'm not statistically nor mathematically apt, but I can guess that the probability would be… Hmm.

…Less than one percent, perhaps?

I chuckled once more. That would be an Ultimate Luck-level talent. Now, I can't accurately guess the odds of another person sharing the same cursed talent that I have. If there was, I pity them. I would gladly end their life if they so wished, just as long as that was their hope.

I grabbed the shampoo that was situated on the rock to my right and slathered it all over my messy hair. Oh, that wasn't mine by the way. I give my silent thanks to its late owner for bringing such a valuable item in their travel. After I thoroughly massaged my hair with the foaming liquid, I applied the hair conditioner, which, again, wasn't mine, in the same manner. My surroundings now smelled of a soothing minty scent. I closed my eyes and let out a long satisfied, "Ahhhhh..."

I think I might have urinated a little too…

Hm, doesn't matter.

Stepping out of nature's shower, I grabbed a clean towel and dried my hair then moved on to my body. For the record, I lost all my baggage from the crash. All that remained were my traveling requirements and clothes to last for an additional week. I suppose the former doesn't matter now, does it? I did the final touches of refurnishing my body and eventually, I felt cleaner than before.

The sun was getting too bright and hot so I donned the straw hat and shades that belonged to the first victim of the terrorist, which just so happened to be the one sitting right next to me. What I currently have is a menagerie of things that don't belong to me. I simply scavenged the remains of the crash. These things would be useless for dead people, so better if I used it for myself, right? Anyways, among these things were a compass, a multi-purpose Swiss army knife, a dark green long coat that fitted me loosely, a fully-loaded pistol that came packaged with 2 additional cartridges, and an interesting folder about Hope's Peak Academy.

I really am lucky, aren't I?

I placed the coat, pistol and its ammunition in my backpack and pocketed the knife. In one hand, I held the compass and used it to guide me and in the other, I held the folder. I glanced at the compass and realized that the needle was spinning all over the place. I tossed it aside and figured that my lucky streak was bound to end anyways. I picked a random direction and started walking towards the sun while my eyes focused on reading the dossier.

As I was reading through the file, I was starting to get bored from all these flavor text about research data, budget plans and that appalling talentless side of the otherwise great academy. The only interesting thing about this so far was the fact that I was actually in the same plane as a scientist from Hope's Peak. Automatically, they were considered a symbol of hope to my eyes. It caused me great despair to lose an important person from the whims of my luck but there is no sacrifice too great to producing immense hope. Their hope was too weak and frail. In the end, this scientist wasn't really a worthy symbol of hope, but just another piece of fodder to feed to the worthy ones.

I flipped over to the next page and my interest was quickly returning. The words "Hope's Peak Academy 78th Class" was typed in bold letters and on the next 14 pages, I saw the beautiful faces of my underclassmen. I can sense the hope brimming from their images. I quickened my pace and spent the whole day studying these next Ultimates. I never questioned how a scientist was able to procure files about the upcoming Ultimates. I guess it was just a stroke of luck on my part.

These dossiers never went into full detail about their personal lives. All it showed were their talents, gender and some basic likes and dislikes. Skimming through the pages, I recognized some of their names: Maizono-san - the Ultimate Idol, Fujisaki-san, the Ultimate Programmer, Ogami-san - the Ultimate Fighter, and Togami-kun - the Ultimate Heir. Ludenberg-san looked interesting to me, as her name reminded me of Sonia's own. I would need to investigate this further before I make any conclusions.

Now, there was this one girl who caught my interest just by her name. I read it a few times in my head.

"Kirigiri Kyoko. Kirigiri Kyoko. Kirigiri Kyoko…"

Now, where have I seen that name before?

Kirigiri…

Huh, what a surprise! It turns out that this Ultimate Detective was actually the headmaster's daughter; even the expressions aren't that different! Kirigiri-san looked so serious, even in this casual portrait of her face. Then again, the mark of a good detective is their ability to disregard their feelings to find the truth, no matter how painful it may be. I heard that the Kirigiri's were a long running line of outstanding detectives, known for their unbreakable poker face. Like father like daughter, I suppose- however, it was a shame her father gave up a great family tradition in pursuit of an even greater ambition.

Imagine the disappointment his family must have for him…

I skim over the next few pages, only taking in the quickest of glimpses of their faces and talents. As I turned over to the 14th page, my foot tripped over a stone and my face ate a mouthful of desert sand. I coughed out the sand that was in my mouth. Due to the sand, my tongue became incredibly dry and I was suddenly overcome by a severe case of dehydration and hunger. The oppressive heat of the sun was making it more difficult for me to breathe.

"...Just my luck..."

I scrounged all over the pockets of my beige trousers and backpack. I didn't even need to bury my hands inside those pockets to know that I didn't bring any food nor water. It was…discomforting, to say the least, to know that I might slowly rot away on this unknown landmass, forgotten and discarded from memory like trash. Ahaha, I know I've been saying that I *am* trash, but to die a pointless death is something I do not want happening to me.

I stood up, brushed the sand off my clothes and picked up the scattered papers from that little accident. With how poor my memory is, I racked my brain to rearrange the papers in disarray. After quite some time, I had finally brought back the documents to its former state- minus the sand of course. I resumed walking in the same direction as before and I continued reading.

The last person on the list was a short boy named "Naegi Makoto". I was quite disappointed to see that Naegi-kun, despite being an Ultimate at something, looked horribly bland and normal. He seemed to have no redeeming qualities about him. My disappointment grew much, much more once I saw his talent.

He was just another average-looking, talentless person picked from the other average-looking, talentless people at a lucky draw. In other words, he was the next batch's Ultimate Lucky Student. I hurriedly flipped over to the next page.

My wandering on this desert went on for hours and hours. My body was already nearing its limit. I could feel all my functions beginning to shut down as I fell to my knees and crawled towards a nearby shade…

…Only to find out that it was just a figment of my imagination. Obviously, there were no covers to be found to hide against the overwhelming sunlight on a desert.

I could not muster the strength to stand up anymore so there I lay, smack dab in the middle of nowhere, waiting until the inevitable comes. I used what little strength I had left to lift my backpack and bring out the long coat to cover me from the heat. In the last moments of consciousness that I had, I closed my eyes and remembered the last thing I read from that file.

Kamukura Izuru - the Ultimate Hope…

…And with that, the light suddenly vanished from my world and I fell into the longest sleep I've ever had for years.

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A/N: Relationships and characters will be added as story goes along.

I'm bringing back my old End Notes in here. Please tell me what you think of my fic thus far! I'll be accepting concrit so feel free to point out any mistakes in my writing! I'm still inexperienced in writing stories, remember?


	2. The Straw Hut and the Fellow Traveler

Like fingers snapping in front of my face, a splash of something jolted my body awake. This looked like something pulled out of the plot of a mediocre film after the breaking point. Disregarding my apparent lack of knowledge on movies, I scanned my surroundings just as a camera would whirl around and try to capture every scene that the environment portrayed to the viewer. The first thing I took note of was the rather cool temperature and the lack of light passing through the semi-covered roof I was under. I tilted my head towards the left and one look outside told me that it was already night time in this desert. I adjusted my range and focused on the shabby little hut I was actually in.

It turns out that I was outside the hut itself. The makeshift roof made from bundles upon bundles of straw and hay stretched further on his right and on his left laid the sandy plains. Even with the minimal elevation over the ground, that didn't stop my mind from thinking of the possibility of a venomous arachnid crawling under my palm leaf blanket and ending my life with one decisive injection.

Strangely, I thought, the motif for today had something to do with straws. Everything I saw about today was just straws and straws and more straws. There was a straw wall, a straw floor, a straw roof, a straw bed, a straw door, and hanging on the doorknob of the straw door was his straw hat. How does one even find this much straw in a desert?

The door abruptly ground against the wall, pricking my ears with the incredibly loud screeching sound. I raised my head towards the source of the sound and there was a green-haired person who looked no older that I am with a lanky posture and casual gait mirroring my own. The stranger was lackadaisically holding a canteen made from stainless steel as he approached me. He gave the canteen one last curious glance before holding its top part out in front of my face.

"…You wanna drink?"

I cringed my left cheek in questioning of the suspicious-looking object. Silence took over this cool night while the green-haired stranger was still offering me a "drink"- or _whatever_ was inside that canteen. This went over for, say… half a minute or so. The silence got broken by the sound of a cricket chirping in the background, filling the atmosphere to the brim with tense awkwardness.

The other smiled at me in reassurance. "I know you have a lot of questions about right now, but _right now_, you need to drink some water…" he rolled his eyes. "…Which should've been the first thing in your mind, considering where you are right now and what I just did."

I reluctantly grabbed the canteen and nodded at his airtight logic. Sitting up to an upright position, I opened the bottle and drank a reasonable amount of water-

Oh god… that tasted _heavenly_!

I chugged it all down until there was not a single drop of it left. As soon as I emptied the canteen, I peered into the opening and tried to extract more of this water that was straight from the Fountain of Life, to which I believe I appropriately described. After being forcefully pulled back to the reality at hand from the lack of water entering my system, I handed back the canteen to this green-haired guy.

After the bottle left my hand, I took this opportunity to study him further. His hair was messy just like mine, but it was more of an intentional type of messy. He styled his hair to be curly to follow some kind of fashion trend that I had no knowledge of, disregarding the fact that fashion was never really my suite. Speaking of fashion trends, he had elegantly long eyelashes and had piercings on his left ear as well an earring on both lobes of his ears. On his arms, he wore a white bracelet on his right arm and an even larger brown bracelet on the other. There were multiple silver rings on his fingers but his right hand only had one. His sweater gave me the notion that he loved ships, as evidenced by the symbol of a ship's steering wheel on the bottom of his sweater.

Based on his clothing choices, my mind began to conjure up a term that can perfectly describe him.

He looked like an adventurer…

…No, not adventurer… It was something else entirely different…

Oh well, that can wait.

"You're free to come in if you like." I didn't notice that he left my side to go inside. "I made dinner." he added.

Might as well get out of this unsafe bed. That and I feel really hungry for some non-airline food.

I followed the stranger inside his home after I made sure to tidy up the bed to show that I had some semblance of decency. When I did enter his humble abode, it was actually fairly small, enough to fit a family of four in here. The only reason why I assumed that was because of the medium-sized makeshift table where a little boy in a white attire and a blonde girl with a thin spike of hair protruding from her head in a pink attire sat and held up some cards as they intensely stared at each other. Not even the creaky door made them look back towards us.

"And who are these people?" I asked him.

"Oh, them?"

_Obviously._ I silently thought to myself while rolling my eyes. _Who else?_

Without saying a word to me, he called out their names with a clear voice. Apparently, the blonde goes by Akamatsu-san and the little boy, Oma-kun. Akamatsu-san threw her cards towards the middle of the table in frustration while Oma-kun was smirking all the way. He had a weird laugh - it sounded like a horse's whinny, but I decided not to voice out my thoughts.

"One more!" shouted Akamatsu-san towards the childish Oma-kun.

"Nope! You owe me something now, Akamatsu-chan!"

"No fair! You cheated in shuffling the cards! How do you even get a straight flush two games in a row?! That's obviously suspect!"

"Or maybe I'm just really lucky? You never know..."

I was suddenly interested in their little game of poker so I approached the table and decided to let myself be known. "…I'd like to test that theory, Oma-kun. If you don't mind..."

He tilted his head towards me and looked at my eyes with an expression of incredulity. However, before I could study his face further, his expression quickly returned to his joyous state. "…So, you're finally awake! I thought you were dead when we found you!" he then changed it again to a more malicious grin. "…It's a good thing I wasn't on the wheel. Otherwise, I'd run you over."

"Now now," the stranger emerged from the shadows behind me. "I can't let you continue bullying your new brother, Oma-kun."

"We didn't even agree to being your little siblings, Amami-kun!" Akamatsu-san interjected, pointing a finger at him.

"Ok, you got me," he raised his hands in defeat. "Akamatsu-_chan_."

She cringed at that name and tried to avert her attention towards a more calming presence, which was me. Just like Oma-kun, she quickly changed her exasperated face to a sweet and more genuine smile. She then gestured for me to seat beside her and I complied quite quickly. However, I felt an iron grip pull me away from the chair and forcefully shove me down a different chair instead.

Once I looked over to whoever pulled me, I saw Oma-kun's playful smile mirroring the waggling of his finger in a teasing manner. "Ah ah ah! We can't let the newcomer escape the initiation for being a part of the Amami household! Oh, and I'll be the one initiating him this time. You guys are too soft!"

So, he goes by Amami-kun…

A look of surprise was on Amami-kun's face right after he heard that. "…Huh? I don't remember initiating anybody to be my little sibling." the look then transformed to something that looks like he knows everything. "I would know, since you cry with just one spank to the-"

"Awww, you're such a buzzkill, Amami-chan." the gremlin-like boy's playful smile dampened to a depressed look. Afterwards, he slammed his elbow on the table, shifting the cards from their messy pile at the center, and looked at his nails as if he was bored with them. "Seriously guys, y'all don't like to play along with my lies. It'd be so much fun to get the scared look on this guy's face!"

Akamatsu-san looked elsewhere with a cringed smile on her lips and Amami-kun just shrugged. The latter ignored Oma-kun's "usual antics" - as I had surmised - and grabbed something from the pantry. He came back with a bowl of rice topped with some sardines that looked raw-

"I know what you're thinking. I wouldn't serve a guest some raw food. Especially if it's seafood."

With some hesitation, I took a mouthful of the meal before me. It was alright, although not as good as the exquisite food from the Ultimate Cook- er, Chef. While I was chewing on my food, Amami-kun sat down beside Akamatsu-san and joined the others in watching me eat. I slowed myself down to see if their eyes were tracking the chopsticks I was using, and sure enough, they really were observing me eat. Taking my mind off their observant stares, I tried to make conversation.

"So, based on what Oma-kun said earlier," I swallowed. "You came across my body?"

"Using "came across" is putting it lightly…" chuckled Amami-kun. "We saw a plane falling down from the sky and we decided to check it out with our jeep."

"You're pretty lucky that we found you just in time too." added Akamatsu-san. "There were a bunch of vultures circling your body looking to snack on your…" she reluctantly finished with, "*carcass*."

"So you're saying that I was as good as dead?"

"That's not what we're trying to say!" she changed her tone, realizing that she was making herself look worse. "…Umm, I mean, you were pretty thin and sickly-looking. What were you even doing in the desert?"

I smiled as I scooped up the last of my food and ate it, then set the bowl aside with the intention of carrying it over towards the sink later.

"…Before I continue, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Komaeda Nagito, a student of Hope's Peak Academy." I spoke the last bit of the sentence with enthusiasm before continuing on. "My talent-"

"Whooooaaaaaa! You're from THE Hope's Peak?!" yelled Oma-kun as he invaded my personal space with his face.

I nodded.

"Nishishi! Looks like we stuck gold, everyone!" he returned to his seat and twisted his smile into that same malicious smirk. "…But who knows? You might be lying and actually just some random kid who had rich parents."

Aha...

…Hahahahaha…

"Hahahahahahahahahahahaha! To think that I was figured out so easily, you must be someone possessing a great talent, just waiting to be realized by Hope's Peak!" Oma-kun looked like he was about to say something but I held my hand up, signaling to him that I wasn't finished yet. "…But allow me to make one correction. I'm not one of those disgusting Reserve Course students who think that they can be among the same level as the other symbols of hope. I was admitted as the Ultimate Lucky Student."

The boy beside me now became serious and began to collect the pile of cards on the table and added it to the deck. He shuffled the cards a few times before looking towards me. "Fancy a game of poker? I'd like to challenge that "luck" of yours with mine."

"Well, if it's enough to prove that my talent is indeed luck, then why not?"

Before Oma-kun could start dealing the cards, Akamatsu-san stole the deck and reshuffled the cards. While waiting for her, I asked, "…How are we going to bet?"

"We go all-in immediately, Komaeda-chan. If I win this round, you leave us and go back to whatever hole you came from. If you win, well…" his eyes glanced towards the dark space just behind him. "We're still gonna think that through with the others, 'kay?"

"Isn't that a little unfair?" remarked Akamatsu-san, who now dealt their two cards.

"Shush! Just play along, will you?"

Without a word, Amami-kun stood up and took the bowl from the table towards the sink. I heard the sound of water tapping the bowl as I picked up the two cards. It seems that my hand was a rather weak one - a two of spades and a six of spades. I looked over my cards towards Oma-kun but I couldn't pinpoint the strength of his hand. He was bearing- what they call, a poker face.

"Do you fold?" he asked me with a blank and serious tone, his eyes locked on the cards.

I decided to trust in my luck so I shook my head at his question.

Akamatsu-san revealed the first three cards - two kings, one of spades and one of clubs, and a ten of diamonds. Neither of our expressions have changed.

"Fold?"

"No."

The next was an ace of spades. I blinked a few times at my cards.

"Fold?"

"No."

The last was a four of spades. Oma-kun excitedly placed his cards down on the table to reveal an ace of clubs and a two of diamonds. "Two pairs, aces and tens."

I placed mine down and revealed my hand. "Ace-high flush. It looks like I win."

My opponent made a thoughtful hum as he finally concluded that I was, indeed, "lucky". He reached over towards my side of the table and stole the cards back and made use of his time by shuffling the deck over and over again as he asked Akamatsu-san's earlier question about how I managed to end up on the desert if I was a student of Hope's Peak. "…I mean, isn't Hope's Peak better than some random desert?"

I took a deep breath and bitterly smiled at my palm. "…It's a long story. I doubt that you would even be interested in what trash like me has to say…"

Akamatsu-san looked at me with a very… alien expression. She tilted her head and grabbed my right hand from way across the table, all the while she was giving me the same smile that Yukizome-sensei gave me the last time I spoke with her about _that_ incident.

…What was it with these people giving me these weird smiles? I don't understand them at all. I really don't. How can they continue smiling at filthy garbage?

It just doesn't make sense at all…

"She's gonna give you a five-minute long lecture about how great you are and that you shouldn't be bullied for it." I felt Oma-kun's whispering breath encircle my ear in a thick hot mist. "Oh, and I'm not exaggerating. I've been in your place before."

Listening to his advice, I partially drowned out what Akamatsu-san's next words. It turns out, he was right. She started talking about the same things that Yukizome-sensei said to me, albeit more drawn out and in a more decisive voice, that fitting for a protagonist in a game-

Oh my, Nanami-san's really rubbing off on me, isn't she? I shouldn't tarnish her divine memory with a horrible video game reference. If she was here, I'd be sitting down here for another five minutes getting lectured.

As much as I don't mind acting as a doormat for the others to step on, even I have my limits.

Before I knew it, the words stopped flowing from Akamatsu-san's mouth, prompting her to release her firm grip on my hand. She suddenly yawned after that and Oma-kun soon followed.

"…Whew, I'm sleepy…" the two "siblings" announced in a sleepy voice, rubbing the tears off of their respective eyes.

"Alright. Goodnight, you two."

"Goodnight, Amami-kun."

"Goodnight, Amami-chan!"

The two disappeared into the shadowed area of the hut. Some playful quarreling and noisy scuttling on the straw floor could be heard. Thinking that I needed some fresh air, I went outside into the cool night breeze.

Upon stepping outside, I was reminded of the same reason why I opted to go inside to join Amami-kun. Even though I was wearing some sandals, I felt the sand's uncomfortable crunch on the soles of my feet as if I was walking on the sixth circle of Inferno. Despite the cool temperature outside, I imagined the sand to be scorching hot. A tempestuous land breeze frizzled my wavy hair. I squinted my eyes to block them from the oncoming sand. Nature seemed to hate my guts right now, so I circled around the house and in doing so, I was now facing away from the wind's direction.

The vehicle at the back of the hut made me remember that they had a jeep to bring me here. Beyond this jeep, however, was the first signs of normal civilization. Under the moon, I could see some the silhouettes of trees and tall buildings but I knew better than to assume that they were nearby. Of course they were far away; why else would Amami-kun and the others build a hut to stay here at the edge of this land?

"…Miss your classmates?"

I turned my head sideways and saw Amami-kun by my side with his arms crossed pensively - staring, too, at the seemingly unreachable horizon beyond the road. How he managed to sneak beside me without me hearing the sand crunching beneath his sneakers, I don't know.

I answered anyways.

He hummed in agreement. "…Ah, right. I still haven't told you our names, have we? I know it's unnecessary now, but I'll just tell you. The blondie's name is Akamatsu Kaede, then the other's Oma Kokichi, and last but not least, mine's Amami Rantaro."

"Yet, you consider them your siblings…" I added mindlessly. "They're obviously unrelated, so why?"

"I dunno…" he placed his hands on his hips and sighed. "I guess I just…kinda considered them my little siblings, y'know?"

Heh… that makes me wonder how I view my classmates. That's the closest I can get to a familial relationship. Hmm, would it be right to consider them my siblings?

I shook my head. That would be quite presumptuous for me, wouldn't it? They already don't want to be associated with me. I can't just live by that mindset if that truth still holds water.

I felt Amami-kun pat my shoulder twice followed by a long yawn. "…Well, I'm gonna go ahead and get some shut-eye. You can sleep inside if you want." he thumbed his chin towards the hut. "I usually sleep in with them, but since I'm a nice guy, I'll give it to you while I sleep in the jeep. Sound fair?"

He didn't give me time to answer as he walked towards the jeep and waved back at me. He must've already known that I would've insisted on sleeping outside so he can sleep in a much more comfortable place. I just shrugged and went back inside.

I made sure not to disturb the peaceful slumbering of the two noisy sleepers and worked my way in the dark to find the sleeping bag. Luckily, it wasn't too far from the door, and not too near so that my head wouldn't be bashed in when someone suddenly decides to kick the door open, and beside it was my backpack. Right… I still haven't finished reading that file yet. I suppose that can wait tomorrow. I settled myself on the bag as I silently waited for my eyes to close…

…And waited for the eventual bad luck that would come from this immense luck of surviving another near-death experience.

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A/N: Ok, I'm not going to feature ALL the V3 characters. Maybe I'll mention some of them, but it'll be a guarantee that Ryoma, Kirumi, Angie, Gonta and Maki won't be mentioned in this fic at all for plot reasons (I'm going to borrow their backstories from V3 and change them a bit to fit this AU).

I'll try not to get too into the whole Rantaro and co. story arc since this is mostly centered on Nagito. I could if I wanted to, but I have come down with a mind-crushing headache. So for now, don't question the fact that Rantaro basically adopted Kaede and Kokichi as his little siblings.

I'll put this story on hold for a while so that I can work on much more important stuff. Being student of the month is hard work, let me tell ya.


	3. Happy Travels

"Woooowwww! That's suuuuuuch an amazing story, Komaeda-chan~!"

"Haha... I assure you it's what really happened, Oma-kun. I was the only one who survived that crash."

"Yep! I know because I tooootally believe you!"

Akamatsu-san sighed quite audibly. "...Don't mind him, Komaeda-kun. He's always like this..."

"Hey! That's not _always_ true!"

The drive towards the nearest gas station was long and slow. None of us would have expected that today would be a busy day on the road, as there were a legion of cars on the road for some reason. Must be rush hour.

The jeep moved just a few inches every thirty seconds while our destination was still miles away. Oma-kun and Akamatsu-san tried to make the trip less boring by making small talk here and then. Sometimes, they would include me in their conversations as much as possible. Amami-kun would join in as well, although most of the time, there would be an awkward pause afterwards then an "Anyways..." that followed after.

To be honest, I was getting tired of becoming the talk of the group. Not only that, but it felt like I was being studied by these questions. It made me uncomfortably tired. Not even a full day has passed where I was with these people and I'm already sick of them- not that I would blatantly mention it to them of course!

...So I decided to change the topic.

"...But that's enough about me..." I turned towards Akamatsu-san first. "I would like to know about you."

"Eh?" she jumped back from her seat, accidentally bumping into Oma-kun's face.

"Owww, watch it next time!!"

"Aside from the numerous times Oma-kun had mentioned his secret organization, do you have anything interesting about you that you can share?"

The blonde girl became flustered all of a sudden and meekly settled back into her spot, clasping her hands together over her skirt. "Umm... I don't have a lot to say... Well, I have a knack for playing the piano..."

Ah, now THAT is interesting!

"Yeah! And they call her Piano Freak cuz she's sooooo obsessed with the piano!"

"Q-Quiet you…!" she pinched the little boy in the cheek, which caused his face to distort amidst his hysterical laughing. "…But yeah that's right… Others call me the Piano Freak." she crossed her arms and began to pout to herself. "I can't help but talk about how great the classics are! They're missing out on some of the good stuff and..."

She then rambled on about some great piano scores that I had never heard, but heard OF. The more she talked, the more I began to notice the parallels between her and Nanami-san. They were both very enthusiastic about their hobbies but they were shunned and branded with insulting nicknames for that enthusiasm. Hmm, but I suppose Mioda-san has that same problem too... and so does every Ultimate who enjoyed doing and what they do best and sharing to others what they like.

That just fueled my resentment towards the talentless majority even more so than before. What gives these lowly peasants the right to talk down on the symbols of hope?! The nerve of those people... Talentless trash should know their place and support the true inheritors of success and glory, instead of being a nuisance on their road to hope. I, at least, know my place and would do anything to make these symbols' hope shine brighter.

I cut Akamatsu-san's ranting by placing both my hands on her shoulder with a look of awe and praise. "…I sense great hope residing within you, Akamatsu-san! Someday, you and Oma-kun might be the next batch of Ultimates! You all must continue to let the hope inside you burn bright for people like us to see!"

"Komaeda-kun..." her eyes widened in shock, gawking at my own. I can also sense how unnerved she was by me, so I quickly retracted my hands from her. She relaxed herself and smiled before continuing. "…Thank you. I wish there was a piano here so I can play something for you though..." she gazed intensely outside the car window past my shoulder.

"You know…" Amami-kun started. "…We can always crash at your place, Komaeda-kun. Isn't it near Hope's Peak as well?"

"On the contrary… it isn't." I replied.

"…But is it near here?"

I looked outside and tried to pinpoint any landmarks that I remember when I would make a trip towards the market. It was hard to know where we were just from the highway. The only thing that was worth noting was the urban city. I assumed that this was where all the cars were headed; and if I knew anything about where my home was...

"…Doesn't seem like it's nearby either. Haha, sorry for bringing this misfortune upon you all... My dreadful existence tends to affect those around me as well."

However, just as I had said that, the jeep began to move at a steady motion.

"...You were saying?" Amami-kun laughingly joked.

I laughed with him - not because of how mistaken I was. I already know what's going to happen next anyways. It'll only be a matter of time before my luck takes more innocent people away.

The atmosphere became comfier once the jeep started to move at a constant speed. The chatter went back in full swing. Uninterested, I planted my elbow on the sill of the window and rested my chin on my palm. Looking at the clouds now, they seemed to drift faster than before. It didn't look like it was going to rain, as the sun shined as brightly as ever.

I sighed in relief. I haven't done this in a long while now; not when there were other sights around me that are worth gawking at. I rarely had a moment of silence to enjoy for myself during my stay at Hope's Peak. My classmates were quite the rowdy bunch. They did everything chaotically but with our class rep's help, it became organized…chaos; and since technically I was a part of the class too, that meant that everything they did, I had to join them against my own free will or out of a self-imposed obligation to serve them like a housemaid. No one gets left behind. I did not mind as long as I got to see their hopes shine together as one. They did it multiple times already, from the first class party that Nanami-san organized on the fly to their latest field trip that ended with a marvelous fireworks display atop a hill. Through those times, I was starting to think…that there were other ways to pass time rather than musing to myself. I'm not admitting that spending time with your companions is better though. Some alone time is needed as well.

Ah, but can I really consider this alone time? I have others with me in this jeep-

**_BOOM!_**

My eyes immediately darted towards the road ahead. On instinct, Amami-kun was swerving around the road to dodge the tumbling cars that headed towards them. While this was happening, Oma-kun was enjoying swaying about in the jeep as if he was in a rollercoaster ride, and Akamatsu-san was panicking and screaming incoherently.

"W-WHAT'S HAPPENING, AMAMI-KUN?!!!"

The lack of an answer clearly showed that he was completely focused on the road. This didn't help ease her fears at all. She looked like she was going to die from a heart attack so I held her hand. "Calm down, Akamatsu-san. Amami-kun knows what-"

"WAAAAAHHH! I DON'T WANNA DIE! I DON'T WANNA DIE!!!"

I sighed in resignation and released my grip. She began to weep and shake violently on her seat. Now the two were flailing their arms around. Any thought of self-restraint was thrown out the window when Akamatsu-san gave me one good firm backhand to the nose.

"Ow!"

I rubbed the tip of my nose and blinked my eyes a few times to un-disorient myself. Just as I had recollected my senses, a sharp instantaneous jab to my jaw shoved my head towards the glass. The jeep then veered towards the left abruptly, the suddenness of the movement ramming my head once more towards my side of the door. My right ear rang and it felt like the right side of my brain was closing in on itself...or maybe it was swelling from the pain...? I don't know. What I do know...was that Akamatsu-san wasn't relenting her erratic assault on her surroundings. A finger stabbed the soft muscle that was dangerously near my left eye. I had enough of this, so I shielded my face to block her hands from reaching it. My poor face was starting to hurt all over. I just wished that Akamatsu-san had some semblance of self-control.

Since I had my hands over my face, I didn't notice that a tumbling car managed to flip the jeep over the barriers of the bridge. Time seemed to stop and I couldn't feel anything, not even the leather plush beneath me.

I slowly opened my eyes and suddenly, time moved and the jeep landed on the side of the road, beside a now destroyed fire hydrant that sprayed water everywhere. The impact of the jeep hitting solid earth sent what feels like an electric shock traveling from the soles of my feet up to my spine. It felt painful to stand up. Miraculously though, Oma-kun looked like he wasn't that affected- well, since he was shouting about how much he wanted to do it again. As for the others, they were knocked out - unconscious. Not even nudging their heads would stir them awake. Before I could check whether they were breathing or not, the door behind me suddenly opened and I would have fallen through the empty space behind me and, probably, land on my neck, were it not for a certain someone's interference.

"Nishishi... c'mon, Komaeda-chan~!" he continued to pull me out of the vehicle like a child.

"What are you doing...?"

"Why, I'm rescuing you, duh!"

Despite his small figure, he was surprisingly strong enough to support my weight, which isn't to say that I was as heavy as Mitarai-kun or Nidai-kun...! In fact, I might as well be as light as a feather with how I look.

"...Aren't you going to rescue your "family", Oma-kun?" I asked, my mouth practically tasting the curl of hair at the side of his head as I opened my mouth.

He stopped in his tracks and gave a blank sidelong glance towards the jeep. He seemed to be contemplating my question before resuming in carrying me away to "safety"...

"Oh, they'll be alright." I can see the smile on his face, probably trying to assuage my worries. "I'll call that detective. Besides, he's a better replacement for... Oopsies! Looks like I rambled too much!"

We stopped in an alleyway beside a large garbage bin. He sat between me and the bin with our backs against the wall. His white suit remained untouched and pristine throughout this whole ordeal and I began to wonder if he had luck as well. He fished out a flip phone and called a number on speed dial.

"Oh hiiiiiii, Shuichi~!"

Oma-kun grinned a wide curve on his features as he drawn out the other's name.

"...Yeah yeah, I know you can't get enough of me- but!" his expression turned into a serious one - one that mirrored his poker face when we played some poker last night. "Do you have time on your schedule? I need you to-"

He stopped himself after hearing Shuichi-kun's response. The person on the other line continued to talk amidst Oma-kun's eerie silence.

"Nishishi… And if Akamatsu-chan was _somehow_ involved and little old me _wasn't_, would you have come?"

"…Oh no no no! I know this isn't about our little affair, silly! I'm just saying that your…uhh…damsel is in distress."

"Ouch… you w-wound me with your words, Shu… UWAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! WHY ARE YOU SO MEEEEAAAAN TO ME?!!"

"…Well, I had nothing to do it this time. It was just some…" he eyed me for a split second before staring off into the poster on the wall. "…Freak accident… You'll get it once you investigate the crime scene, my dearest Shu!"

"Oh, and about that free time of yours? Make sure you have lots of it…and I MEAN lots and lots of it. Cuz once you come here and save your pretty little princess, well…let's just say it'll be more interesting than those boring cases you lose sleep over."

"Alright! Buh-byeeeee Shumai~!"

He happily clicked away from the call and turned towards me with a glistening white beam on his face.

"That's one down and one more to go!"

"I assume you still need to deal with me, right?" I answered.

"…Say, how much do you miss Hope's Peak?"

"I guess…" I thought about it for a moment. He's clearly trying to know how desperate I am to go back and thinking about using that to his advantage. "…I miss being a stepping stone for the symbols of hope…but I'm not particularly in a hurry to go back or anything…"

"…Well, Komaeda-chan! Today's your "lucky" day 'cause I'm inviting you to join my secret organization!"

That again? And here I was starting to doubt it's existence due to how childish it looked in my imagination, especially when someone like Oma-kun mentions about it so nonchalantly, like it was his catchphrase or something.

Still, I had to ask. "…So this secret organization of yours… it's actually real?"

"Toooootally!" he winked back at me and stood up, stretching his limbs and opening his flip phone once again. "…Soooo, lemme make this one last call and then we'll be on our way!"

Unlike his previous phone call, he made an effort to hide it from me. He wandered away until I couldn't hear his voice talking to the other person. He went back to the direction of where the jeep crashed and, now, he was out of my sight. As much as I wanted to follow after him, I couldn't. It was too painful for me to stand up and walk on my own two legs. I sighed to myself and decided to wait for him beside my new friend, the inanimate trash bin.

After whistling a hopeful little tune to myself, Oma-kun came back with two bags in hand and handed me my own. "Can you walk?"

I pushed my body up and strained myself to stand in an upright position. Looks like the worst of it was over, fortunately. I just don't know if I can carry my bag and walk for…

"How far is this secret organization of yours?"

He strapped the bag to his back and held up his hand to look at his nails. "I got a couple of bases set up 'round these parts but we'll be going to the main one for now, which is gonna be far from here, I'll admit."

"And you're asking me if I can walk over there by foot?"

"Of course!" I paled from the prospect of walking while carrying a heavy load and from the way he answered so quickly. "…Not! Nishishi… Wouldn't it be plain to see two suspicious people carrying large bags over towards a secret building? We're gonna travel by car, dum dum!"

I shrugged at that and proceeded to sling my bag over my two shoulders. I had one last question in my mind.

"What are you planning, Oma-kun?"

"Hm? What do you mean? I just want you to join my organization, that's all…"

"I've been studying a lot about the alumni of Hope's Peak. Every single one of them is famous for something. Did you know that a terrorist that masterminded the reducing of about half of Europe to an anarchy graduated from this prestigious academy? He was shrewd and cunning - a master of mischief and a tool for causing chaos. Only the higher-ups from the academy knows about him and his secret organization. Sound familiar?"

"Nishishi… now that's an interesting little tidbit. Are you sure you're not being fed lies of fantasy and grandeur?"

"…I wouldn't expect you to believe that such Ultimates exist. However, I can tell that you're almost like him. Maybe you two are even related."

He turned his back towards me and raised his hands in an "I don't know" stance. "Think whatever you like, Komaeda-chan. People wear masks over their faces. The same thing can be said about your precious academy that you admire sooooo much. But here…let me tell you one truth among my many lies…"

In the moment when I saw his face from the sidelong glance he gave me, the sun's light shined on the unseen half of his face at the perfect angle, masking the half that I can see with a shadowy aura that brimmed with evil intentions. This malice hiding behind his half-smirk blended with the darkness in the alleyway perfectly.

"This world we all live in is boring. I'm only here to spice things up a bit."

His face returned to its original spot and he began to walk outside and I followed as quickly as I can manage.

I casted out my annoyance for him and replaced it with interest.

_He's DEFINITELY an Ultimate!_

* * *

A/N: So yeah, that explosion on the road actually came from the grenade that Mukuro threw out in the anime.

My timeline's going to be a bit janky but basically from this point until Nagito's return to Hope's Peak, I'll assume that a week or more passed by between these two events.

I'll need some clarifications though.


	4. Rolling Eleven

A/N: To be honest, I don't know where I'm even going with this story haha. Kinda like what happened when I was writing The Perfect Recipe for Disaster.

* * *

If I had to admit, this was a really interesting house tour. To think that a whole underground base existed under an orphanage, I was starting to buy into Oma-kun's advertisement about his *fabled* secret organization. Whatever it was or high jinks they did, my expectations were high for this group.

As our strange little group of three descended down the ever dimming stairwell, the eerie yet comfortable coldness of the air crept up along the gray walls, cold to the touch of my thin fingers. I was too focused on the fact that Oma-kun managed to organize all this to pay attention to the casual conversation he was having with his "secretary". I would've never thought that he would have such a forceful personality, befitting that of a tyrant or some kind of supreme leader.

After some minutes of mindless wandering, I found myself seated at a stone round table with Oma-kun in front of me and his young secretary at his side. She was busy tapping away at the keys of a small laptop with her tongue sticking out a bit. Often times, she would push up her large goofy glasses up her nose. I think it's just some habit of hers.

"Bibi-chan, analysis! Later!" shouted her lounging boss.

"Ya ya!" she nodded with such nervous energy that her glasses nearly fell before her hand reached up to the tip of her nose to push it back some more. "You got it, Kiki!" she then closed her laptop and skipped jovially across the room and into a door that reads "Authorized Personnel Only!" with comical letters.

"Soooo..." he spoke up, now eyeing me with childlike curiosity. "...whaddya say about my gang so far, Komaeda-chan?"

"It's something..." I replied with a noncommittal tone. "I don't think I'd fit in very well, Oma-kun." I gazed at my palm with a slighted smile. "...Not with trash like me."

"Oh relax!" he rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I could use a guy like you in my ranks, Komaeda-chan! The others and I want some of that action you get into!"

"You mean...you like it when your life is at stake?"

"Correction. **We** like it when our lives are at stake." he suddenly stood up and started monologuing to himself, arms spread far apart and talking to the wall. "With you around, we can only imagine the fun adventures we'd have together as a…a group! Imagine the fun! Imagine the chaos! Imagine the screams, and shrieks, and cries! Imagine the parties! Doesn't it make you all giddy inside?!" he stopped talking and walked over towards my side. With how tall I was, he stood within my eye-level even while I was sitting. Even so, it felt like he was taller and stronger than me, with the way he would smirk and gaze at my eyes, like he was able to pinpoint my thought process and act accordingly. He later added, "You can just forget about your class, about Hope's Peak Academy, and join my organization, Komaeda-chan. There's a better life waiting for you here with us."

I shook my head. "…You haven't done much to convince me, y'know…"

"Eh, I figured you'd say that." the leader pulled out a remote from his pocket and pointed it towards the projector above me. The table beneath my hands soon glowed a blue shade, growing in clarity by the second, so I narrowed my eyes and shifted my focus towards the tabletop…only for it to suddenly stop glowing. While I was projecting a look of utter confusion, Oma-kun laughed a horse's whinny and used his finger to raise my chin to face a folder he held up between his two fingers, holding it like it was an oversized card. "Hahaha! Gotcha with that lie, didn't I?! Bam!" he then slammed down the folder in front of me. "We're actually planning for a little…_salutations_ from a _dear friend_," he winked at me before continuing. "And to honey up the deal even more, you'll get to watch a magic show with us!"

Curious, I flipped open the folder and in there I saw eleven tickets - arranged by fives in a row with a lone one stuck haphazardly, resembling that of a last minute decision to include that one ticket in there. The more I looked into it, these were tickets to a magic show for children…? Wait, what?

"I know I know..." he patted my shoulder, most likely for seeing my face of disbelief. "It says that it's for the little kids but lemme tell ya, it's _real_ magic, and that's not a _lie_!"

"Seems like your inviting me to someone's birthday party."

Oma-kun's mouth hung in surprise, drool flowed down the side of his mouth but before it dripped onto the tickets, he sucked it all up, breaking him out of his stupor. "...Woooooowie! I never thought that you would catch on to my plans, Komaeda-chan! What gave it away?"

I pointed my thumb towards the wall behind me. At the same time, we both turned our heads towards the back. I haven't pointed it out until now, but I couldn't help but notice the amount of clown masks that decorated their secret base. It made me assume that they just really liked the idea of clowns. I connected the dots after seeing the tickets, the clown makeup that his secretary had, and the logo of their organization.

I heard a sudden snort from Oma-kun, a sarcastic snort that told me that whatever I was just thinking of was wrong. "We're not just some two bit con artists, Komaeda-chan... We're a professional organization that specializes in making things fun _for_ fun!"

"Depends on your definition of "fun"." I turned back to face Oma-kun and held a finger to the side of my head. "Didn't you mention something about what chaos there would be if I joined?"

"…Huh. Never thought of you as _that_ type of guy…"

I shifted my gaze towards my palm of utter disappointment. "…Oh, looks like I just ruined my chances…" I let out a sad sigh and cursed myself breathlessly. "…Ah, just my luck…"

No one spoke after that. It seems that I was left inside this room by my lonesome self. I wouldn't blame Oma-kun anyways. Anyone else would've done the same thing in his position. I'm just a worthless pitiful excuse of a human being who, for some reason, was "privileged" with a fluctuating luck cycle. If he was just lying to me, trying to find a reason for both me and himself to include me in his wonderful organization, I'd understand. I understand that he was just trying to make me feel better but I just don't think there's anything about me that's remarkable nor special that I would be considered an asset to someone's grand schemes. Truly, I'm just trash that exist to pollute the air meant to be breathed by Ultimates. Maybe if I just stop breathing altogether, no one won't have to suffer because of my insufferable presence-

_*slap*_

What the...

Yukizome-sensei?

"Oiiiii! Wake up, mophead!" then another slap to my other cheek. "Where did Kiki run off to?"

My eyes flickered on and off as the sight of the woman before me slowly transformed to a short twin-haired girl in a white straightjacket wearing that familiar checkered scarf around her neck. After I got a clear picture of her irritated face, I quickly realized that she was the secretary who wore the goofy-looking spectacles that slid off her nose constantly, except right now, that magnifying glass of a pair of glasses vanished from her face.

"Uhhhh, HELLOOOO?! Wake up or I'll blow your head off, you jerk!" her face suddenly turned a shade redder than it already was. "N-No! That's n-not what I meant...! Y-Y-You're not even my type..." her high-pitched voice softened up to the point that she literally became a completely different person - it was as if she had died a little inside, the embodiment of the exact opposite of her liveliness.

Still, I had to answer her question. "I don't know where he went, no..."

She stood in attention, making her pigtails bounce. Her deathly embarrassed appearance retracted to her previously irritated face. Does everyone in this organization shift their mood this quickly? She inflated one of her cheeks and crossed her arms, her yellow eyes glaring at the ground, and let out a "Hmph!" with a voice similar to that of a petulant child. Her face caved inwards in exaggerated thought, trying to think of something that may or may not exist.

However, her laser-like focus diminished as her eyes widened with curious excitement at the folder in front of me. "Hmm? Whatcha got there?"

Before I could answer, the folder in front of me suddenly vanished the instant I blinked. It took me a good five seconds to realize that she snatched it away from me. I turned my eyes towards the shorter girl and she beamed. Now, her face resembled a child's smile - it wasn't a smile of malice, it was a smile of innocence, pure childlike innocence.

"Woohoooo!" she started to sing a happy nursery song. "We're gonna see a magic show! We're gonna see a magic show! We're gonna see a magic shooooowwww~!!"

Well, with some changes, of course...

She plopped herself on the table, basically voiding every semblance of personal space that I once had with her...body. She made the table her very own bed and spun herself around so that her face would be facing me. Her head rested on her palms, planted on the cold surface of the table with her legs swinging back and forth. What a feisty little girl...

"...Oh! By the way, what's your name, mister?"

"Right... My name is Komaeda Nagito, a stu-"

"Psshh, what a boring name! I'll call you mophead instead!"

"What's your name then?"

"Heehee! I'm not gonna tell youuuu~!" she winked at me playfully.

"But what'll I'll call you then? Bibi-san?"

"BLEUUUGGGGHHH!!!" she *dry-heaved* into her arm in *utter disgust*. "No! No, stop that! Yuck! Just call me Chibi and not THAT!"

"Chibi-san..." the name echoed within the vast emptiness of my head. "...Is that your _real_ name?"

"Of course not!" she replied, shocked by my question. "You don't tell strangers your real name during the first meeting!"

"Now now, that's not fair." I chuckled, raising my hand with non-chalance. "I told you my real name. Wouldn't it be good manners to do the same as well?"

Her smile gradually fell to a blank expression and her bouncy personality disappeared so suddenly. The chill in the air mimicked her tone. "Do you trust everyone you meet for the first time? Are you really that stupid?"

I didn't say anything to that. I kept the detail of Oma-kun not minding me calling him by his real name to myself.

"Well!" she rolled off the table and landed on her two feet. "I'll be going now. I can't believe I forgot about Kiki like that!" the little secretary threw me one last peace sign and beamed in glee. "It was nice meeting you, mophead!"

The sound of her shoes tapping away at the floor echoed until the loud sound of a door closing stopped the rhythmic steps. Once again, I was left by lonesome self. As minutes ticked by, I grew bored. My feet were itching for some walking and tapping my sandals on the floor didn't help remove that itch, so I stood up and went out the room. Once I opened the door outside, one long hallway stretched before me. I wished I paid more attention to more surroundings back when I was tailing Oma-kun and his secretary. Surely this base, under the guidance of their shrewd leader, must be constructed with a lot of unexpected twists and turns that would seem like a maze to the unfortunate person who just so happened to *stumble* down here.

Well, when all odds are against me, what better companion to trust for help than my Ultimate luck?

I just started walking and hoped for the best, because that's what gets me out of sticky situations like these. The hallway split into three different directions, sometimes leading to dead ends and locked doors or a loop back and forth to nowhere in particular. After some wandering, I bumped into something...

"...O-Oi! Watch it!"

...or rather, someone.

The large stout man I just bumped into glared at me for a while as he made a turn and continued down the hallway. I muttered a silent apology to him for being a nuisance to his day before doing the same...until I decided to change my mind. That man looked like he was in the same group, with his clothes and all that, so I figured he might know a thing or two. I changed course and followed his steps, hoping that he wasn't too far off. Fortunately, he wasn't.

"…Excuse me?" I called out. "May I ask you something, good sir?"

"Jeez...no need to be so polite-" he turned around and paused awkwardly as he gave me a brief once-over. "...Gwahahahahaharr! It's the new guy!" he approached me and crushed me with what seems like a bearhug. "Shoulda' known it was you back there! Hahahaha!"

I massaged my displaced spine back to its original orientation and asked with an exasperated tone, "...What? New guy?"

"Yeah...?" he replied confusedly. "That's what the boss told us. He said that he's got some fresh meat. Though..." he started to look at me with scrutinizing gluttonous eyes, fat greasy fingers rubbing his chin pensively. "...Yer too thin to be fresh meat, eh? Gwahahahahaharr!"

Meanwhile, I backed away while awkwardly laughing at my current predicament. "Ahahaha… Please don't eat me…" I said. "...I don't even taste good to be honest...haha..."

He started to laugh again. I'd like to think that he was just joking but something tells me that he was actually considering the notion of digging in through my flesh and bones. That would've been unfortunate. Really unfortunate. I despair just at the thought of it.

Just as my luck would have it, it seems like he dropped the thought immediately. "...Oh boy! That was a good one!" he wheezed and coughed a couple of times before continuing. "Phoowie... haven't had that good of a laugh for a long time. Anyways, you're coming with me. The boss wants to see you."

"Wait, but..." I answered. "Why did he leave me in that room then?"

"Eh? What room?"

I scratched my head as I realized the plethora of rooms across the halls. "Huh..." I racked my brain for any distinct features the room might have had, but none came to mind. "...I don't remember-" suddenly, an idea lit up. "Chibi-san... Have you seen her?"

"Chibi...chibi...chibi..." his finger brushed on his forehead repeatedly. "...Don't you mean, Bibi? I don't know any Chibi!"

"Yeah, her. So, did you?"

"Noperino." he shook his head in a slow motion. "Look, why don't we just ask the boss? He's a great boss lemme tell ya!"

"Oh," I smiled with such genuine gestures in a carefree disposition. "You don't need to tell me that. He is _great_."

"See?!" he huffed, planting his hands on his hips and holding his chin up in a proud steadfast manner. "Don't worry, I'll bring you there myself!"

He carried me over his shoulder like I was just one of those duffel bags. Half of his arm was enough to envelope the entire width of my body, and that slightly concerned me as I was completely at the mercy of his fat, yet muscular arm. He could slam me down at any moment, or even flatten my innards so much that my insides would go out my mouth. Ah...well, in actuality, it felt more comfortable to be held up like this. Something within my past resurfaced in my mind as he barreled his way across the halls and doors.

Before the clear image could take form, however, I felt my sandals touch a soft fuzzy- oh…it's just a carpet. My head was still gawking at the dashing purple of the carpet and my eyes followed to where the long stretch of decoration ended. The whole room was magical, ripped straight from a fantastical castle that screamed utter European royalty at my face. Lounging across a throne-like chair twice his height with his legs hanging loosely on its one side, was Oma-kun, dressed like a child's imagination of a totalitarian leader - complete with a tussled up and roughly cut black robe covering his neck and back, and a black military sitting on top of his head…menacingly. Scratch European royalty, this…this was something else. This enclosure did not fit the whole atmosphere I got while I explored this underground base. The fixtures on the ceiling that resembled stalactites inside a cavern acted as the *castle's* chandeliers and the cold steel wall with bright blue lines running across them was decorated with more purple, looking like a poor attempt to decorate this large room to look like a mighty fine castle…with Oma-kun as the "king" pin.

"He's here, boss!" the large man called out for the "king's" attention.

Oma-kun nudged his head upwards, which meant something for his henchman for he retreated into the shadows, not before throwing me a thumbs up and a toothy grin.

"…Soooo, let's continue where we left off, Komaeda-chan!"

Jumping off his throne, he took a stride towards me. His cape fluttered by the wind strikingly, despite there being no wind. The gratuitous theatrics seemed to be expected at this point since charisma often comes from ostentatiousness or flamboyance, maybe with a dash of eloquence as well, but that would only be needed in some occasions.

With that being said, I dropped the fact that he left me in that room without a second thought.

"We're giving you a free one week stay here at D.I.C.E.," he giggled and winked at me. "Just so you know!"

"And..." I started, thinking about his offer. "...do I get to opt out anytime?"

"Well...yeah-"

"And what happens to me? Would you just dump me at the side of the road to fend against the wolves?"

"Yeeesh...can you _can_ the questions for now?" he asked with genuine irritation in his tone. "You're sweating the small stuff too much! What makes you think that I'm just an evil person anyway, huh? I'm a sweet little angel who only thinks of my friends' best interests! Nishishi, I'd even take a million spears to my body just to protect them!"

"That sounds like a lie..."

He simply laughed...

As he was cackling to himself, I realized...it'll be a long time before I come back to Hope's Peak Academy. He made it so that I don't have a say in this at all, and he's laughing at the futility of it all.

Well…if that isn't luck, I don't know what is.

Not everyone gets to live this kind of life.


End file.
